Indonesia will cap Wednesday’s Independence Day celebrations by scuttling as many as 71 impounded foreign vessels -- mostly Vietnamese but also a handful of Chinese -- to signal its determination to protect its sovereignty over lucrative fishing grounds in the South China Sea.

The destruction of the boats comes amid simmering regional tensions over territorial disputes in the water. Former Indonesian foreign minister Marty Natalegawa said the main challenge facing the country was to ensure the message wasn’t misinterpreted.